A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hardware-based accelerators, and, more particularly to reformulation of the finite-difference time-domain (“FDTD”) algorithm for hardware-based accelerators.
B. Description of the Related Art
Although the importance of fast, accurate computational electromagnetic (CEM) solvers is readily apparent, how to construct them is not. CEM algorithms are, by nature, both computationally and memory intensive. Furthermore, the serial nature of most software-based implementations does not take advantage of the inherent parallelism found in many CEM algorithms. In an attempt to exploit this parallelism, supercomputers and computer clusters are employed. However, these solutions can be prohibitively expensive and frequently impractical. Thus, a CEM accelerator would provide the community with much-needed processing power. This would enable iterative designs and permit the analysis of designs that would otherwise be impractical to characterize.
CEM algorithms, such as the FDTD method, contain distinct regions of operation, including the normal FDTD space, an absorbing boundary region, and the incident source condition. These regions are easily accounted for in a software-based implementation. However, the incorporation of multiple regions into a hardware-based accelerator is a non-trivial task, as it requires logic replication and decision-making, both of which can increase area and necessitate a slower clock rate.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a hardware-enabling 3D reformulation of the FDTD algorithm.